This week we started practising for the upcoming PPP's. We were given a stimulus and we had to start analysing it and extracting what we could from it. In my case it was Caravaggio's painting "Young Sick Bacchus". At first, we just had to analyse the stimulus itself, which was rather simple, just state what I saw. But unlinke predictions, this part of the process, the recognition of elements, is not as obvious as I thought it would be. Details such as shadows, contrast and composition are important elements on the painting, not only what you objectively see. 

"Young Sick Bacchus"

For example, Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and fertility is often represented in paintings as a chubby character, with a full pot belly, and a red blush on his skin. He is always surrounded by large amounts of grapes and fruit. In this painting, he seems to be the opposite of the image most of us have about Bacchus in our heads, since he is pale, thin, and only has few fruits around him. The contrast between the stereotype and this representation gives us the idea that Bacchus, and all he represents (Fertility, abundance, joy) is no more, he has become sickened.

 From the analysis of the stimulus we now have to create a concept and a vision. Take away important elements and then use the broader concepts (abstracting from the painting completely) to envision a play. The process itself becomes much easier when you have a clear concept, because from there the vision just flows naturally, you have a backbone from which to guide yourself so that the whole process has coherence.

I'm still unsure on where to start, or what concepts I can extract from this painting. The first part always seems the hardest. This is because you have to be careful not to over-interpret the stimulus just to include your own ideas. One should only focus on what is there, and after taking out the concrete elements, start interpreting them. For example, saying that wine is poisonous and bad for humanity because Bacchus is eating the grapes, which make him sick. Nowhere in the painting does it imply Bacchus is eating said grapes, and even though grapes represent wine in our culture, they may only be grapes for the sake of grapes in the painting. That's why a clear analysis of the stimulus is essential for an adequate development of the PPP.

Is it incorrect to research about the historical/personal context of the stimuli and its creator? Since, it would probably change the lens through which you interpret it.